A BRIEF HISTORY OF FIRST UNITED CHURCH

First United Church is a union of two congregations, American Baptist and United Church of Christ. The church's Baptist roots go back to 1825, when Monroe County pioneers first established a congregation in Bloomington. The church grew to become the largest Baptist congregation in the county.

Rev. Douglas Rae, a church leader imbued with the idealism of the social gospel movement, led the congregation from the 1930s through the 1960s and made First Baptist a leading progressive force in the community. Our church was the first in Bloomington to desegregate. That progressive tradition is alive today.

In the '50s, the church outgrew its downtown building and moved to its present home—then on the edge of town, but now once again a central location. Its sanctuary is an architectural landmark in Bloomington, built in 1956 but not "dated." A recent building renovation program has restored the structure without compromising its architectural values.

Two Congregations Become One.  In 1973, the First Baptist Church united with a smaller United Church of Christ congregation which had its origins in a house church centered on the Indiana University campus. This growing UCC congregation began using First Baptist's chapel on Sundays and the two churches merged their Sunday school classes. The congregations eventually voted to unify and the church changed its name to "First Baptist Church-United Church of Christ." Mission giving was equalized between the denominations. Over time the two congregations, similar in theological and social perspectives, have melded into one. This reality was symbolized by another name change, when in 2003 we became "First United Church."

In 2000, after long consideration of proposals to move the church to a more suburban location, the congregation voted to remain at our present site, update the building, and seek new, vigorous leadership. The congregation raised money for a complete building rehabilitation through a combination of land sales and a fund-raising campaign. Today, a new vitality is evident in this 178-year-old church.